Chapter 1

Maylu, Can You Keep a Secret?

Students chatted quietly in the classroom. But most of their attention was set firmly on the clock, the last seconds of junior high were ticking by…

Miss Mari noticed the clock as well, 'Were dose the time go?' she asked herself, as she looked at her students, "seams just like yesterday they were all here for their first day of 5th grade now they'll be going to high school-" her thoughts were interrupted by the bell.

"BBBBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIII IIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG GG"

Thundering stamped of steeps…

"Ok, have a nice…summer?" Miss Mari asked as she looked up seeing her room empty, a lone piece of paper drifting to the floor, the only proof there had ever been students there.

"Can you believe it summer's finally here!" Lan exclaimed as he pumped his fists into the air. "We're free at last!"

"Clam down Lan," Mega said as he appeared by his younger sibling, "you don't want to pull a muscle, remember what happened last year."

"What happened last year?" Terra asked as she walked beside the two boys.

"Lan did that same move and ended up pulling a muscle in his forearm and straining a muscle in his back. He was bed ridden for the first two weeks." Maylu said as she joined in the conversation. "Not that he'd remember that, or learn from it. It just to bad Dex, Yai, and Tory aren't here to celebrate and watch you cause self-injury. I think the guys had a bet to see if you could top yourself and get bed rest for a month."

"Well at least Dex, and Yai have an excuse for not being here," Lan replied, "they live in Jawaii, Tory has absolutely no excuse, I mean who misses the last day of school to catch the early bus to history camp?"

"Someone who like history I guess," Terra said adding to the conversation. "But it is kinda lonely with out everyone here, especially without Tasha. How boring is it to be in Tokyo, have the whole city at your feet and have to stick around some law office while your parents duke it out over divorce proceedings? But, on a better note how cool is it that in three months we'll be high school freshmen? I'm so excited!"

"More like freshmeat," Whisper added as she and Roll materialized.

"Well I don't know about yall but I don't plan on becoming anyone's meat, next year, fresh or otherwise." Terra replied.

"Hey have any of you heard about the changes the board's making to all the city schools next year?" Maylu asked.

"What changes?" Whisper asked.

"Well the word around the water cooler is that they're going to integrate all the schools between human and navis." Roll replied.

"Where'd you two hear this?" Terra asked.

"I overhead my mom talking to one of her friends last night, she's on the school board, and the phone was on speaker so I heard the whole conversation. She said that their plan was to revamp the whole school system. Navis are going to have classes just like everyone else."

"Whoa wait a minute guys," Lan said as he interrupted, "we just got out of school, it's summer, talking about next term no matter how cool it sounds, is just going to bring it faster than it's already coming, you guys need to get onto the spirit of summer."

"We are in the spirit," Terra replied, "in fact in the spirit of summer I'm skipping practice today, but I'm also excited about school next term, so what were you saying?" Terra asked as she Maylu, Roll and Whisper formed a group of their own walking ahead of the boys.

"Oh yeah," Maylu said regrouping her thoughts, "She said that the board came up with the idea themselves. They decided that since they were already shaping the minds of tomorrow that they might as well help out with their social progress. And since the world is growing and expanding through the Internet and technology what better way to spur it on than helping children see that navis are people too." Maylu continued as her voice faded out the further she and the others separated from Lan and Mega.

"I don't think they're really in the spirit," Lan said as he watched them go.

"Than what do you suggest to get them into it?" Mega asked.

"Just a little push." Lan replied as he reached his hand over the nearby wall coming back up with a cooler and two water guns. "Or more of a shove."

"What are you planning on doing with that?" Mega asked although the already knew the answer.

"Nothing," Lan replied, "just a little harmless prank, one that you're going to help me with, it'll just be like old times."

"Lan we can't do that, plus don't you think we're above and beyond the age for pranking?" Mega asked.

"No," Lan simply replied as he rocked the handles of the water cooler and the gun in front of Mega's face, "Come it'll be fun, heck, it'll even liberating."

"Lan please don't." Mega said as he watched the objects swing in front of his eyes. He had managed to keep his true self at bay ever since Lan discovered the truth, but ever so often he could find his resolve slipping away and this new temptation to pull a prank wasn't helping.

"Oh come on," Lan interjected, "you know you want to, I've seen that spark in your eyes for weeks, what do you say?" Lan said as he continued to tease his brother dissolving his will power with every passing second.

"Well that sounds totally awesome," Terra said once Maylu and Roll had finished relaying the new additions the school was going to have for the coming year, "I guess having parents with friends who have high standing in the community has it's perks, you get all the spoilers."

"Us? What about you?" Roll asked, "You're the one whose dad is best friends with Dr. Hikari."

"Yeah well school is important too," Whisper said with a laugh, "Once you're in high school no one cares if your dad works for Scilab, that just labels you as a geek, but if you know the ends and outs and loop holes of the school system, that can give you leverage with the populars, they're always wanting to know what they can get away with."

"Yeah, and speaking of a Hikari where's Lan?" Terra asked as she looked behind them seeing he wasn't there.

"Right here," Lan replied, when the girls followed the sound of his voice they saw that he was perched in the tree above them, along with Mega.

'He's finally cracked.' Terra thought to herself as she looked at the two but mostly at Mega, she had wondered how long it would take before he reverted back, looking at him she could make out a devious spark in his eyes, the same one she saw in Lan all the time before he did something that landed him in trouble. She had always wondered were he had gotten it from. Now she knew.

"What are you two doing up there?" Maylu asked as she looked up at the two boys.

"We told you that you should get into the spirit of summer and you just wouldn't listen, now you're going to pay the price," Lan replied as he pulled a water gun from behind his back.

"Mega you're going to let Lan do this?" Maylu asked as she looked at the navi.

"Maylu if you haven't noticed he's in the tree with him." Terra whispered into the girl's ear as she leaned over.

"Yeah," Mega replied, "not only that, but I'm going to help him." Mega said as he pulled out a water gun as well.

"I think we'll take this as our exit." Whisper said as she and Roll pixilated into the net, they saw what was coming and would rather not get involved.

"Traitor." Terra said mentally making sure that her sister got her message.

"Bite me." Whisper replied. "But I'd rather stay high and dry, sorry."

"Sure you are." Terra said back.

"You know if I were you I'd run," Lan said as he jumped down from the tree followed by Mega, water gun riding on his shoulder.

"Yeah right," Terra replied as she held her ground, "Like you're going to have me running around the city all afternoon-" Terra started to say when Lan pulled the trigger allowing a stream of liquid to hit her point blank in the chest, and it wasn't water. "AHHHHH!" Terra yelled out in surprise when Lan sprayed her.

"Lan, I can't believe you just- AHHHH" Maylu said as she let out a yell when she received the same punishments only hers was from Mega.

"Run," Mega and Lan said together as they began to advance again.

"Yeah right-" Terra started to say again when Lan shot at her, she was able to dodge this time.

"Believe me you're not going to be able to keep doing that." Lan said as he kept on coming.

"Terra," Maylu said as she watched Lan and Mega steadily coming forward, "Run" she said as she took off leaving Terra with the choice of either following her or getting drenched, needless to say Terra went with choice number one.

"What's up with Mega, he's gone crazy!" Maylu asked as she and Terra rounded a corner.

"To tell you the truth I don't think anything's up with Mega," Terra replied as she was hit again, this time on the arm, "what I want to know is what is this stuff it sticky."

"I have no idea," Maylu replied as a ice cold steam of liquid hit her and ran down her legs, "I have a feeling it's soda."

"Well that's one of the perks of wearing jeans," Terra said as she looked at Maylu's wet legs, "come on I have an idea." She said as they rounded the next corner and ducked in behind the nearest fence. In a few seconds they could hear Lan and Mega run past.

"Now what do we do?" Maylu asked in a whisper after a second.

"I don't know they're bound to notice that we ducked out on them after a while, let's just get the jump on 'em." Terra said as she bolted from behind the fence grabbing Maylu's hand and heading back the way they came.

"Hey, there they are!" Lan called out, when the girls looked back they saw Lan and Mega at the end of the street.

"Well that worked like a charm," Terra said once the boys noticed them.

"Well don't just stand there come on maybe we can loose 'em." Maylu said as she grabbed Terra and rounded another corner hoping they could make the next block before Lan and Mega reached the end of the street, little did she know that the boys knew what she would be up too….

"I think we lost them." Maylu commented after they had run a few blocks, "besides I'm too tired to run anymore." She said as she collapsed onto the sidewalk with her back against someone's fence.

"I couldn't agree more, I can't move." Terra said as she joined her. Their peace only lasted a few seconds though.

"Oh, girls..." A singsong voice called out, at first both girls thought that it was Lan but looking up they saw it was Mega, soda gun pointed right at them.

'So, that's where Lan got that from too.' Terra thought.

"Good work," Lan said as he came up a few seconds later.

"Good work?" Mega asked, "you better learn how to address your elders squirt. I'm the master."

"What are we your prey?" Terra asked already exasperated. "We get it, we're not in the spirit of summer today, we'll be in it tomorrow."

"Yeah, can you just put the gun down, this isn't fun anymore." Maylu added.

"I don't think so." Lan replied as he once again pulled the trigger, this time drowning the girls getting them wet from head to toe.

"AHHHHHHHHH." Terra shrieked, not so much from getting soaked but from the fact that some got in her mouth, the mystery liquid was Black Cherry Vanilla Coke, the most disgusting flavors the Coca-Cola Company had ever created. Not to mention that it was the most disgusting flavor on the planet, (a/n: Diet Lemon Coke comes in second). After a few seconds the sugar shower stopped, Lan had run out of ammunition. Terra started to wring the soda from her hair and arms. "That was the most disgusting…, AHHHHHHH!" Terra started to say and had to stop when she and Maylu started to receive another soaking, this time it was from Mega.

"Hub, STOP IT!" Maylu screamed and laughing when the soda started to fully soak through her clothes, and with that it did stop, the shower and everything else, even Lan's maniacal laughter came to an abrupt halt leaving everyone staring at Maylu. "OM," Maylu breathed, once she realized what she has said, letting the words out slowly, "Lan I'm so sorry, I don't know where that came from…"

"Maylu it's ok," Lan stated.

"No, it's not…I just-" Maylu sighed as she got up, "You were having this great time and I just wrecked it. And even if I didn't, I ruined it for myself… I think I need to go home; I'll uh… I'll see you guys tomorrow." Maylu said sounding slightly lost as she walked off and disappeared down the street.

"Well, that answers a question I've been dying to ask you guys for the past couple months." Terra said once Maylu left, lifting herself from the ground.

"You thought we would have told her by now?" Lan asked.

"Pretty much," Terra replied, "From what I gathered the three of you were pretty close, so yeah, I thought she would know by now."

"The fact that she hadn't called me by my real name wasn't a clue?" Mega asked.

"No," Terra stated, "I don't always call you Hub why should I expect her too? I mean come on, my real name's Araya, when's the last time someone's called me that? You call me Terra, so do my parents, Sky calls me Airie, and for some odd reason Proto's started calling me Airess-"

"That's because you started calling him Emerald." Lan interjected. (a/n: Emery, Emerald, get it?)

"Well whatever," Terra continued, "the point is no, I didn't find that fact a clue. Why haven't you told her?"

"Because I don't know how she'll react." Mega replied. "With Lan it was different, he's my brother, and he never felt that I was gone, Maylu did, she had closure, to her I'm dead and I'm never coming back, who knows what'll happen when she finds out I'm not?"

"That's why you need to tell her, you can fill that void in her life Hub, not many people get to be told that someone they thought was gone forever is still alive. My goodness your making the same lame excuse Proto did."

"Well there's no way he can catch up to her now she's long gone." Lan said.

"Its called an areasteal Lan and she hasn't gotten far we haven't been talking all that long. So what are you going to do?" Terra asked Mega. "You gonna let her get away and stall some more or are you going to tell her now?"

"I guess tell her now," Mega replied, "seams like I'm out numbered; I'll see you two later." He said as he disappeared in a blur.

"So I guess it's just you and me." Lan said once Mega left.

"Think again," Terra replied with a laugh, "thanks to you I have to go home and take a shower, you're on your own." Terra said as she headed off in the same direction Maylu and Mega had.

A few minutes later found Lan standing in the same spot. Terra, Maylu and Mega were all long gone by now, outta sight and outta earshot, a lone and sleek town car pulled up next to him rolling down it's back window.

"So did it work?" a voice asked, it was Chaud's.

"Like a charm," Lan replied, "thanks for the help, I never would have known that Terra hates cherries."

"Actually she detests them." Chaud replied, "You want a ride home?" the dual haired boy asked opening the door.

"Sure why not?" Lan asked as he got in.

"Hey Maylu wait up!" Mega called when the girl came into his sight, she had made a few blocks but was still walking at a steady pace. "Are you ok?" he asked once he reached her.

"Sure, if you classify someone who's just drudged up old and painful memories, as ok, then yeah, I am a ok." The fuchsia haired girl replied.

"Your memories of Hub are painful?" Mega asked.

"No, not all," Maylu replied, "in fact they're some of the best ones I have, it's just recalling them reminds me that he's gone, that's what makes it painful. No ones ever mistaken you for him before?"

"A few people," Mega replied, "I remember when Lan first got me a lot of people would make a double take, I look so much like him."

"You act a lot like him too." Maylu said, "you're the same way with Lan as he was, you boss him around, and tell him what to do, try to keep him basically on a strait line, that was after the pranking. Everything with the water guns just brought all those memories back. I had forgotten how similar you were."

"How would you react if you found out that Hub was still alive?" Mega asked suddenly.

"I don't know, happy, surprised, definitely confused, because if he's been alive for the past eight years where's he been," Maylu replied as she thought about it, "Why?"

"Because I needed to know the boundaries of what your reaction would be; there's something that I need to tell you, and believe me it's going to change everything from here on out. I need to have your word that you're not going to freak out, and that you'll keep this knowledge to yourself. You may want to sit down." Mega said as he led the now confused girl to a nearby bench.

"Megaman what's going on?" Maylu asked as she took the boy's advice and sat down, getting nervous with each passing second.

"Maylu," Mega asked, "Can you keep a secret?"

TBC